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Founded in 1996, Al Jazeera was the first 24-hour news channel in the Arab world. This documentary, shot on location in Qatar goes behind the scenes of this Arab independent satellite TV channel. Combining news footage, excerpts from various Al Jazeera programs, and interviews with executives, anchors and journalists, the film explores the paradoxes that emerge between the apparent orthodoxy of Arab societies and the journalistic freedom flaunted by Al Jazeera in a dictatorial culture which does not know the meaning of dialogue.Read more...

a film by Tewfik Hakem ; une coproduction Riff International Production, ARTE France.

Abstract:

Founded in 1996, Al Jazeera was the first 24-hour news channel in the Arab world. This documentary, shot on location in Qatar goes behind the scenes of this Arab independent satellite TV channel. Combining news footage, excerpts from various Al Jazeera programs, and interviews with executives, anchors and journalists, the film explores the paradoxes that emerge between the apparent orthodoxy of Arab societies and the journalistic freedom flaunted by Al Jazeera in a dictatorial culture which does not know the meaning of dialogue.

Reviews

Al Jazeera: Voice of Arabia provides a rare view of one of the most popular and often controversial satellite television organizations in the Middle East.

Filmed at Al Jazeeraâs state-of-the-art headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the documentary is a collection of newsroom discussions, interviews,...Read more...

Al Jazeera: Voice of Arabia provides a rare view of one of the most popular and often controversial satellite television organizations in the Middle East.

Filmed at Al Jazeeraâs state-of-the-art headquarters in Doha, Qatar, the documentary is a collection of newsroom discussions, interviews, and news footage, woven together by English narration and subtitles. A central theme is that Al Jazeera makes a concerted effort to be balanced as well as mindful of the Arab perspective. It points out that Al Jazeera employs over 70 journalists from various religious and political affiliations. It also shows news executives debating whether to air the Osama Bin Laden tapes shortly after war broke in Afghanistan. Moreover, the film portrays Al Jazeera as a catalyst for free speech, womenâs rights, and cultural awareness.

The documentary does, however, have a few technical problems. Interviews with National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld are conducted in English and overlaid with an Arabic translation as well as English subtitles, making it difficult to sort out the dialog. Also, long stretches of subtitled conversation midway in the film could have been enhanced by narration.

All in all, Al Jazeera: Voice of Arabia is a valuable resource for a Western world eager to learn more about Middle Eastern ideas.

Al Jazeera: Voice of Arabia premiered at the 2003 Middle East Studies Association Film Festival in Anchorage, Alaska. Located at the University of Arizona, MESA is a âprivate nonprofit, non-political organization of scholars and other persons interested in the study of the Middle East, North Africa, and the Islamic world.â